Garbage to Burn

Image by: Peter Holst

 

Incinerating our solid 
waste to produce electricity would seem to be a 
win-win: solve the 
landfill crisis while 
producing energy at the same time. However, 
even proponents admit 
it’s not that simple.

A pink, foamy kids’ chair, the kind of cheap prize won at a carnival ball-toss, stands out in the sea of plastic, cardboard and other unidentifiable refuse in the cavernous garbage pit at the Burnaby incinerator.


A giant grappler crane reaches down, scoops up a metal mittful of the stuff and drops it in a chute that leads to one of three furnaces, where 1,150-degree-Celsius heat reduces it to ash, gas and incombustible metal rubble.


The crane operator goes for another load, then another. Employees work in two-hour shifts around the clock at this station, feeding three furnaces and keeping the middle of the pit clear so trucks can keep tipping. The plant runs at capacity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


Ken Carrusca, an engineer in Metro Vancouver’s policy and planning department, looks out on the mountain of trash below. “Once it gets here, this is fuel,” he says. “And this is a power plant.” According to Metro Vancouver, the Burnaby facility incinerates 280,000 tonnes of waste a year, or just over 20 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s total, and produces 16.7 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 16,700 homes.


The regional government’s draft management plan indicates a major shift in waste management planning, shifting from reliance on landfilling to incineration, and Covanta, a New Jersey-based company with stakes in B.C., is well positioned to take advantage of expansion opportunities.


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One more thought on "global climate change". The hypocrite environmentalists who trumpet the loudest about this supposed "crisis" (manufactured, in reality, by their own rhetoric) gleefully fly around the world in jets that contribute more so-called "greenhouse gases" to the upper atmosphere than big industry anywhere in the world. The military, also, in every country of the world, seems to be exempt from this conversation for some reason and they pollute heavily in the form of carbon emissions. The high priests of global environmentalism - in conjunction with event organizers - who met with world leaders in Copenhagen recently arranged for hundreds of gas-guzzling limousines as transportation for visiting dignitaries and themselves. I would suggest that the hypocritical views and proposals espoused by these people belong best on a roll beside my toilet. I would strongly suggest to anyone truly interested in an objective evaluation of this subject to read Dr. Michael Crichton's speech to the US Senate titled "The Case for Skepticism on Global Warming" found at this URL: http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-ourenvironmentalfuture.html . We live in a world where objectivity and critical thinking are an absolute must. We are being pushed around by ideologues with an agenda unrelated to environmental concerns.
Incinerators are a likely solution at the moment. New technology has improved what we emit in the air. If we could expand our recycling program, to foods, electronics, certain plastics and papers, and all other sorts, we would definately reduce how much we place in Incinerators and Landfills. The expansion would also create jobs. Germany's recycling programs employ over 240 000 people! If we want to create a green economy, an expanded and rigorous recycling program is a beginning step.
The popular current outrage over burning of waste as a contributing factor in "global climate change" (whatever that means) is scientifically without foundation and absurd on the face of it. These plants - like the one in Burnaby - have excellent emissions track records and are simply not a concern in terms of their impact on the environment, as far as I'm concerned. Here in Gold River, we are surrounded by thousands of hectares of woodlands. They consume far more carbon emissions than 10 of these burn facilities could ever produce. We have hungry trees here. This isn't a concrete and pavement clearcut. City-dwellers are constantly wringing their hands over "climate change" being caused by human pollution as they choke on their own smog. In reality, the air quality issue is extremely localized and limited to the big cities. Real science shows that carbon emissions have virtually no impact whatsoever on this planet's climate. Climate fluctuations are completely normal and have always been part of the historical pattern. Some winters are worse than others, some are milder. Some summers are hotter and drier, others are wet and miserable. Human pollution is NOT the issue. Self-righteous religious zealots in the form of environmentalist "planet savers" are the real problem. Their willingness to quash industrial development and effective ways of eliminating burnable garbage is expressed in meaningless mantras and strictly emotive rants utterly lacking in scientific credibility. Here in Gold River, we welcome the opportunity to provide power to the Island via the incineration of burnable garbage converted to highly combustible wafers that produce almost no toxins whatsoever and very little ash residue.
Hallo! Greatings from Germany! I have made an informationpage about an german recycling- and waste- management- idea in german and english language (kryo- recycling). Pleace spread this infomation to all persons, you know, that many people get knowkedge about this idea and good alternatives to incineration. If you and others have some more or new information, pleace send the information to my adress. . Here is the link to my informationpage: http://sites.google.com/site/kryorecycling With best Greatings, Felix Staratschek, Freiligrathstr. 2, D- 42477 Radevormwald
To even consider Waste to Energy technologies, given the urgent need for climate stabilization, is insane. Burning garbage creates more climate pollution than even coal power plants (US EPA) and continues to be one of the leading sources of dioxins. Conversely, recycling and composting is the the quickest and most affordable action that communities can take for climate stabilization, while creating long-term sustainable employment.Consider the following facts: 1. Recycling and composting create more than 10 times the number of jobs than burying or burning the same amount (tonnage) of garbage; 2. Over 90% of materials wasted in North America can be recycled or composted; 3. Maximizing recycling and composting in the US would reduce GHG emissions the equivalent to taking half the cars of US roads. 4. Zero Waste strategies such as recycling are cheaper would save communities hundreds of millions of dollars that are currently spent subsidizing the operation of landfills and incinerators. BC decision-makers should take a close look how the City of San Francisco has arrived at a 73% recycling rate in a very short period of time, with a commitment to reach zero waste by 2020. San Francisco's recycling facilities are also staffed by union employees who receive good wages and workin safe work environments. Stop wasting time and resources on incinerator proposals....you'll only be burned! Ananda Lee Tan Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives http://www.no-burn.org
Waste to Energy is likely a reality for the region, I understand the public's concern that we are burning resources that could otherwise be recycled. But the reality is North Americans are not consuming less we are in fact consuming more goods and services. With our consumption habits comes garbage. The reality is that it must go somewhere. So everyone - consume less and more thoughtfully create less garbage! Natural ecosystems don't create waste, why can we not as part of the global ecosystem do the same? Sad.
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